A Darker Shade Of Black
by planxtary
Summary: "If you wish to get out of here, you will have to make a series of choices, and oftentimes you will be forced to decide whether you value your own life over the lives of the other guests. Any wrong choice may end in death."
1. BEGINNING

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a plain white card.

Intricate, swirling lines decorated the front, the dark ink a stark contrast to the paper itself, and in the middle, a single word was typed in curly font: _Jones_.

The second thing he noticed was the sharp pain in his body from having slept in a chair.

Alfred groaned, picking his head up from the dark wood table in front of him. He took a moment to stretch, joints popping loudly, before his gaze once again fell on the room in front of him and his mind finally caught up with the situation.

 _Where the hell am I?_

The room was dark, and he soon realized that was because the only light came from a few candles on the table and the dying fire in the fireplace. The flames cast eerie golden shadows that swam around the room and across the faces that surrounded him.

His heart leapt in his chest.

There were others here.

Who were they?

The person closest was directly across from him, and Alfred noted that he had a bedhead of blond hair, thick eyebrows, and sharp features. He was rubbing sleep from his eyes.

He glanced down the table. It could have sat about fifty people, but there were only around fifteen in the room. Each person was spaced a few feet apart and had a card set in front of them.

"What's going on?" someone asked. The accented voice, still drowsy from sleep, boomed in the silent room. Alfred thought it sounded German.

Slowly, people began to rouse around him. Chairs scraped across the floor as they leapt to their feet, and soon nervous chatter was all that he could hear.

Alfred stood too. His eyes flit around the room with apprehension. The glow of the fire didn't reach very far; he felt as though he was caught in the middle of a black fog, only able to see a few feet in front of him. Beyond that was a haze of darkness.

The furniture in the room matched the dark wood of the table. Bookcases were filled with books that had to have had a thousand pages each. The glass chandelier above him glinted menacingly.

"It's so cold," someone whined. Alfred's gaze shifted to his left, where he could see two vague figures huddled together. One appeared to be comforting the other.

"Does anyone know where we are?" the first voice, the German, asked. Alfred watched as he walked to an open area to the side of the large table, and his question was met with silence.

The candlelight revealed the German had slicked-back blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His face was set in a deep frown.

"The last thing I can remember is driving," someone to his right said. Alfred quickly spun around, noticing the man beside him for the first time. He had long, dark hair tied in a ponytail and played with the hem of his sleeve worriedly. "I was driving home from work... And I woke up here."

Alfred blinked. "Hey, me too!" he blurted. "I was going out to get something to eat and ended up here!"

The German made his way over to them. "Now that you mention it, so was I," he murmured. He then raised his voice so everyone could hear, "Was this the case with everyone?"

A chorus of various yes's erupted around the room, and the German called for silence.

"Okay, now that we all know what we were doing before we got here, we need to figure out how we ended up here, and _why_. I recommend we wait until morning until anyone tries to leave. It has to be past midnight and we still have no clue where this is."

He let out a large sigh and his eyes drifted shut as he shoved his hands in his pockets, only to fly open again. The expression on his face was unnerving.

Alfred watched as he pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and read, and with each sweep his gaze made across the page, the more his expression darkened.

"Everyone, come here," he demanded, tone urgent. Alfred had no choice but to obey as he stepped closer to the other blond, and soon everyone in the room was huddled in a circle.

Something in his chest suddenly felt incredibly heavy, like dread gnawing at him.

The German read.

"Ludwig, you think of yourself as a good leader. Can you ensure safety for yourself and for those in this room? If you wish to get out of here, you will have to make a series of choices, and oftentimes you will be forced to decide whether you value your own life over the lives of the other guests. Any wrong choice may end in death.

Each guest will find a set of instructions in their pocket. Follow these instructions, and you may make it out alive.

You will find a computer somewhere in this manor. Each guest has a folder on it with their name, accessible only with the password you will each find in your pocket. This is how I will update your instructions in the coming days. Make sure not to share your password with anyone."

The room was filled with the sound of crumpling paper as everyone around him searched their pockets for the instructions Ludwig had mentioned. He heard frantic whispering, and as his own hand brushed against the foretold paper, that feeling of dread only grew.

 _Alfred,_

 _The fire will soon go out. There are no matches in the manor._

 _You will find a wooden shed in the forest. Turn on the generator and bring power to the manor._

 _It is not safe to be alone in the dark. Will you risk your own life to find the generator, or will you wait until the candles burn out and have everyone suffer the same fate?_

He felt a lump in his throat as his gaze flew to the window. It was dark like someone had covered the glass with black paint.

He had to go out there?

Alone?

"Mine says to find the computer," the man with the ponytail said.

A very tall man with light-coloured hair and a scarf around his neck stepped forward. "I will come with you," he said, his accent Russian.

"Before we do anything, we should introduce ourselves," Ludwig cut in before the two could leave. "As you've already heard, I am Ludwig."

Alfred's gaze went from person to person as they all said their names. _Yao, Ivan, Kiku, Francis, Matthew, Elizaveta, Natalya, Feliciano, Lovino, Lilli, Michelle, Antonio_.

"Arthur," said the blond that had sat in front of him.

All eyes fell on him, the only person who hadn't answered yet. "Alfred," he said, staring back at Arthur. He may have been imagining it, but he could have sworn the green-eyed blond's face paled at that.

Ludwig sighed again. "Alright, it appears now we should just do as the instructions say, and maybe we'll find clues about whoever put us here."

"I have to go outside and find a generator," Alfred said. Ludwig nodded, glancing at the window just as he had done.

"Do you want someone to come with you?"

"I'll go," Arthur said quickly.

Alfred shook his head. "I think I'm supposed to go alone."

"Be careful," Ludwig said.

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Soon enough, he found the front door, and then he was outside.

The manor was _enormous_. He had no idea how they were supposed to navigate it later on, but that didn't matter for now. Alfred's focus was set on the miles of forest ahead of him.

"Jesus," he muttered. How the hell was he supposed to find that shed?

He slowly walked down the path before him. It didn't take long for the trees to thicken around him. Grass tangled at his ankles and he had to take each step with precision so as to not trip over a root or rock or... something. It was too dark to see what littered the ground.

The further he went, the darker it got. He wished he at least had a flashlight, but if there were no matches in the manor, as his note had said, then he doubted the person that had put them there had been kind enough to leave them a flashlight.

A twig snapped behind him, and then Alfred was running.

He couldn't see the path anymore, or the trees, or anything.

It was pitch black no matter which direction he turned.

And it was suffocating.

"Fuck, I'm lost, aren't I?" he demanded, a crack in his voice, but the empty air around him didn't reply. His eyes stung and he wiped at them frantically. There was no use in crying.

He could feel blood pounding in his ears. His heart drummed against his chest so painfully he wondered if he was going to have a heart attack then and there.

He shouldn't have gone alone. He shouldn't have left the manor at all. Whatever was awaiting them there was surely better than this.

He was trapped between miles of trees by himself.

 _Or not_ , he thought as another twig snapped. And that was worse.

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Eventually, Alfred noticed that he could see what was in front of him. Either his eyes had adjusted to the dark, or the trees were beginning to thin out.

By now, he was so exhausted from running that he could taste blood in his mouth. His chest heaved, and he allowed himself to slow down to a walk as he approached a fork in the road.

The path split to the left and right.

Glancing down the left path, he could see a glow in the distance, as though there was a building with the lights on. Down the right path, there was only darkness.

Another twig snapped.

Should he turn left or right?

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If you chose to turn left, go to chapter **A1: TURN LEFT**.  
If you chose to turn right, go to chapter **A2: TURN RIGHT**.


	2. A1: TURN LEFT

Obviously, he would head toward the light. It had to be the shed!

Maybe all hope wasn't lost yet. He would find the generator, return to the manor, and everything would be fine.

He didn't waste time waiting for another twig to snap. If something was following him, then he had to hurry. He broke into a sprint down the left path, careful not to get his foot caught on a root.

His lungs ached. He wanted to rest so badly, but there was no time.

He would be safe in the shed.

With each step Alfred took, the forest around him grew lighter. He was nearing the glow at the end of the trail.

But it was quickly growing apparent that there was no building here.

He came to a stop in front of a campfire. Someone had made a circle out of rocks and filled it with twigs and grass. A small flame was burning in the centre of it.

What the hell was this? Was the shed further down the path?

He hunched over and gasped for air. When was the last time he'd run so long?

His legs trembled, lungs burned, and eyelids threatened to fall shut. He hoped desperately that this was all just a bad dream and soon, he would wake up in his warm bed and be able to continue life as normal.

Alfred pulled off his glasses and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. Upon fixing his glasses, he realized there were two shadows on the ground instead of one.

His heart skipped.

He tried to turn, but suddenly the back of his head exploded in pain, and then he was falling. He landed on the hard ground with a cry, jagged rocks, roots and thorns digging into his skin. Sharp, stinging pain erupted from his arms and stomach as skin tore.

He lifted his head from the ground, gasping, trying to wipe the dirt from his face. Hot blood ran down the back of his neck and pooled around him.

Footsteps came closer.

Stopped right beside him.

His head pounded as he was hit again.

And again.

And again.

His face pressed in the dirt.

Suffocating.

Glasses shattered.

Cutting.

It was strange to hear your own skull crack.

Soon he didn't feel much of anything.

* * *

 _ **he ded. luckily, unlike alfred, you can go back and make another choice (:**_


	3. A2: TURN RIGHT

Alfred bit his lip. There was the promise of _something_ on the left path, but that didn't necessarily mean that something would be good.

Then again, the darkness of the right path wasn't much better.

 _No, it's too obvious_ , he decided. Would the person who'd brought them here really leave him a warm light to lead him in the right direction?

It was with that thought that he took the right path.

It was like walking with his eyes closed. The darkness was so vast. He held his hands out in front of him so he wouldn't bump into anything.

He couldn't even see the moon this deep in the forest. There was nothing but the sound of his heart and the two pairs of footsteps that he desperately tried to convince himself were just his own echoing.

There was something up ahead.

With newfound confidence, he sped up. In an opening stood a small wooden shack, windowless and darkened with rot, but in the light that now cast through the branches, the sight of it was heavenly. He quickly made his way to the door and pulled it open, the hinges creaking. He went inside and the door slammed shut behind him.

Since the shack was so small, Alfred quickly found the generator. A few seconds later and it was on, buzzing loudly. He blinked in surprise when a light bulb suddenly flickered on in the shed, his eyes stinging in the sudden light.

Items cluttered the shelves around him. He stood and his gaze roamed over them curiously. Flower pots, shovels, pitchforks.

A chainsaw.

Hell if he was going to let this opportunity pass.

He picked up the chainsaw, hoping it worked, but decided to test it out once he got back to the manor. It wouldn't do him good to draw attention to himself with a loud noise.

The shed was actually full of several good weapons, but there was only so much he could carry. He looped his arm through the chainsaw's front handle and shoved a pair of garden shears into his pocket.

After a little more searching, he also found a flashlight.

There were footsteps outside.

Alfred stilled, coming out of his happy stupor. His eyes flicked to the door as the footsteps drew closer.

He clicked the lock shut and held his breath.

The footsteps neared.

Stopped.

The doorknob rattled.

And then, finally, it stilled.

The footsteps retreated until he could no longer hear them, but he still stood.

He stood until long after that voice had stopped calling his name.

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Alfred's relief when he returned to the manor was indescribable. He could already see the yellow glow of lights in every window, meaning his work had paid off.

After he had left the shed, he retraced his steps through the forest and was glad when the walk back didn't seem as long as it had the first time. The flashlight guided his way and he felt safer with the chainsaw in his hand and the shears in his pocket.

He nudged open the heavy front doors of the manor and was glad to see that it wasn't nearly as frightening as it had been in the dark. Deep, red carpets covered polished floors and a large staircase in front of him led up to a second floor.

"You're back."

Alfred looked to the source of the voice. The man before him had slightly wavy blond hair and round glasses. His eyes looked almost violet.

"Yeah, uh.. Marty."

"Matthew."

"Yes. That."

Matthew eyed the chainsaw in his hand. "What are you planning to do with that?"

"I dunno, but it's better to be prepared."

"You have a fucking _chainsaw?_ " someone questioned, voice full of trepidation. He and Matthew both turned to see the girl with long, platinum blonde hair, Natalya. "Get rid of that thing! You can't have that in here!"

"You say that as though you didn't just hoard all the knives from the kitchen," Elizaveta stated cooly, coming up behind her.

"That's different!" Natalya argued. "What's he going to do with a chainsaw? Slaughter us?"

"Hey, there's no point in getting suspicious of each other," Ludwig said, entering the hall, followed by two brunette twins, though one looked less willing than the other. "We're all trapped here and need to work together, not make enemies."

"Oh I'm sorry, let me get friendly with the guy waltzing around with a chainsaw," Natalya sneered. She spun around and left the hall, her heels clacking loudly with each step.

"I'm glad you made it back alright," Ludwig said after a moment. "Did you run into any trouble?"

"Nah," Alfred answered. "I mean, I think something was following me the entire time, but I didn't get attacked," he added after a moment, deciding to leave out the part where he'd cowered in the shed after hearing his name called.

"That's good," Ludwig said.

"You got the power on just in time!" one of the twins who had been following Ludwig finally spoke. "We were down to just one candle!"

The enthusiastic twin's darker haired brother just rolled his eyes.

They walked back to the dining room they'd first awoken in and Alfred set the chainsaw and flashlight on the table. He reached into his pocket for the shears when Natalya's words flashed in his mind. He pulled his hand back empty.

Maybe it was better off if some things were kept secret.

"Did you find the computer?" Alfred asked.

"No," Elizaveta said. "At first, Yao and Ivan went to search for it, but then we realized just how big this place really was, so we split into groups and all gave it a shot, but still nothing."

"We did find some stairs that probably lead to the cellar," Matthew added.

"No one went down?"

"Ludwig said to wait until you got the lights working."

Alfred nodded in understanding. He pulled out a chair and took a seat at the long table, grateful that at least for now, he wouldn't have to worry about dying. Maybe the chair wasn't such a bad place to sleep after all...

"So while we drive ourselves crazy looking for that computer in this bloody maze, you lot get to stand around?" a snide voice asked.

Alfred picked his head up off the table and looked up to see none other than Arthur, standing with his arms crossed and looking down his nose at them.

"Hey, I just wandered around a forest in the dark searching for that generator!" Alfred protested.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Frankly, I don't care if you drop dead from exhaustion. You don't get to nap while the rest of us work."

"Don't be so hard on him, Arthur. He does have a point," Francis said, making his way into the room and looping an arm around the shorter blond's shoulders, which he promptly shoved off.

"We'll keep searching," Ludwig said. Elizaveta and Matthew had already left the room, and the twins looked ready to go as soon as Ludwig said so. "Are you coming, Alfred?"

Alfred sighed. There goes his nap. "Yeah."

"Now that we're not meandering around in the dark, we can go down to that cellar," Arthur said from somewhere behind him as they followed Ludwig through the labyrinthine halls of the manor.

"Because that's the obvious place to keep a computer," Francis said.

"Shut up frog, it could be hidden anywhere."

"Even if we don't find it there, there's probably something else important!" Feliciano chirped.

"Yeah, like a serial killer," his brother said.

Ludwig suddenly stopped, Alfred almost walking into his back. Feliciano did walk into his back.

"Here are the stairs we found," Ludwig told him, pulling open a door. He flicked a light switch and the stairs lit up.

Alfred glanced down, but he couldn't see to the bottom of the winding staircase from this angle.

"Are we going or not?" Arthur questioned.

"You know, on second thought maybe we should keep searching up here..." Feliciano said, already tugging on Ludwig's arm. Lovino quickly nodded.

"Well I'm not going to chicken out," Francis said, heading down the first step. "Coming, Arthur?"

"Don't stay down there too long," Ludwig said. "I'll take a look myself later, but for now..." his words faded away as he turned into another room with Feliciano and Lovino.

Alfred uncertainly glanced back to the other two blonds as they began to steadily make their way down to the cellar.

Should he follow them, and risk meeting whatever had scared the twins from going down? Or should he search for clues in another room (and maybe find a nice bed to sleep in)?

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 _ **let me know if you like this story and maybe ill continue soon (:**_


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